Control for moving tape



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f INVENTQR lf/V MEWS Tar/1 J H CIHHDESTER CONTROL FOR MOVING TAPE Filed Sept. 11, 1934.

1 gm km Patented Mar. 10, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to mechanism for controlling the movement of strips of material such as stock ticker tape, and more particularly to a mechanism for eliminating undesirable vibration and jerking of a moving tape.

Some of the objects of the present invention are to provide an improved mechanism for controlling a moving tape so that it runs smoothly and uniformly; to provide means coacting with a moving tape in association with a light projection system to produce clear, sharp image reproductions of data on such tape; to provide a tape control mechanism wherein variations in tape tension during travel are automatically compensated for; to provide a tape control mechanism wherein an intermittently actuated tape is caused to move at a substantially uniform speed between interruptions; to provide means in conjunction with a tension control for subjecting a moving tape to a braking action to eliminate all undesirable vibration or irregular action; and to provide: other improvements as will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying .drawing Fig. 1 represents a plan of a tape control mechanism embodying one form of the present invention; Fig. 2 represents a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 represents a detail in part section of a control part.

Referring to the drawing the form of the invention here shown by way of example is applied to the control of a tape Ill discharging from the well known type of stock ticker, though in this application of the invention the tape I0 is transparent for the purpose of transmitting light rays in order that the characters, numbers, or letters upon the tape can be legibly reproduced at a convenient location. Generally considered the invention is applicable! to the type of apparatus shown in applicants prior Patents Nos. 1,783,008 and 1,794,147, though it is to be understood the invention is not limited to this specific use. In the present instance the tape IE! is caused to travel across the face of a plate II in register with a slot I2. That the tape It can be accurately registered with the slot I2 and also held against side movement during its endwise movement, a groove It is cut lengthwise of the plate I I with its medial line coincident with the like line of the slot I2. The width of the groove I3 is such that it will receive the width of the tape I0 with that exactness which permits free endwise relative movement of the tape but prevents relative side to side movement thereof. It should be noted that the width of the slot I2 is sufficiently less than the width of the groove I3 to provide ways I4 which respectively support the side edges of the tape and hold it perfectly flat as it passes throughout the length of the slot I2. As here shown a focussing lens I5 is attached to the bottom of the plate II in position to direct light rays through the tape II] when the latter is transversing the slot I2.

In order to guide and properly tension the tape Iil two guide rollers I6 and I! are provided respectively at the receiving and delivery ends of the plate I I. The roller I6 is formed with circular head flanges I8 so spaced as to receive the width of the tape Ill without permitting sidewise movement thereof. Circular flanges 20 are also provided for respectively frictionally engaging the margins of the tape Ill out of the Zone of the printed matter in order that the freshly made impressions may not be blurred as the tape Io passes over the roller I6. Since this type of tape is usually printed with twospaced lines of data the median portion of the tape between these lines is frictionally engaged by a flange 2 I. This roller I6 is mounted for free rotation on the reduced diameter of a spindle 22 carried by an arm 23 which is fixed at its other end to a rock-shaft 24 mounted in ear bearings 25 which are made fast to the plate II by an integral base 26 and screws 21. A nut 29 is threaded on the spindle 22 to prevent displacement of the roller I6. The rockshaft 24 has a lever arm 28 fixed thereto in order to be controlled by a coiled spring 30 which is stretched between the arm 28 and an adjusting screw 3| mounted on a post 32 fastened to the plate II. A thumb-nut 33 is provided for proper tensioning of the spring 30. Thus a lever system is provided having a long arm 23 and a short arm 28 of such proportions as to maintain a normal working tension on the tape I0 but which is instantly responsive to any sudden drag upon the tape to cause the roller I6 to rise as the tape tends to stretch and thereby momentarily compensates for the increased tension and prevents the tape from breaking.

The roller I1 is provided with two end flanges 34 spaced to receive the tape between them and is mounted to rotate freely on the reduced diameter of a spindle 35. A nut 35 threaded on the spindle 35 maintains the roller I1 in place. The spindle 35 is carried by an arm 31 fixed to the plate II by a base 38 and screws 39. The arm 31 is bent downwardly beyond the edge of the plate II in order to position the roller II in a plane lower than the plane of the plate II and hence the tape II] is drawn downward under the roller I1 and maintained taut as required. This condition is assisted by the downward bend of the arm 23 to locate the roller I 6 substantially in the same horizontal plane as the roller IT.

The travel of the tape I0 is normally an intermittent one owing to the stopping and starting of the ticker from which it is discharged so that its movement is irregular and accompanied by annoying jerks. While the self-adjustable tension roller I6 tends to obviate much of this undesirable tape vibration there still remain periods (much shorter however than heretofore) when the tape wavers enough to cause blurring of the image and eye strain to the observer. For smoothing out this last vestige of jerk, vibration, and irregular action, a drag or brake mechanism has been devised consisting in the present instance of a plunger 40 mounted for vertical movement in a guide bearing 4| and a bushing bearing 42, which latter is threaded into a bracket 43 fixed to the plate I I by screws 44 or other fastening means. Preferably the bearing part 4| is fixed to the bracket 43 in coaxial alinement with the bushing 42. A pin 45 is arranged to project from opposite sides of the plunger 40 and a spring 46 is compressed between it and the bushing 42 to press the plunger into contact with the tape and above which it is located for that purpose. A knurled head 41 allows the plunger 40 to be manually retracted when desired. As here shown the contact end of the plunger 40 is drilled to form a cavity of proper size to receive the major portion of a ball 48 of hardened steel or other suitable material and which is preferably held in place by spinning over the plunger ends. The desired relation is one in which the ball 48 is freely rotatable by its frictional contact with the moving tape and hence the tape while being held firmly pressed against the plate to prevent irregular movement is not in danger of mutilation or tearing because of any variation in thickness of the tape. It is a common practice to splice tape in end to end relation and this splicing produces double thickness of the tape atthese joints and by the present invention the freely movable spring pressed ball member automatically adjusts itself to tape thickness and prevents this heretofore annoyance of tape breakage.

It will now be apparent that a complete unitary tape control has been devised whereby a moving tape is held properly taut on the face of an apertured plate regardless of intermittent feed reactions or variation of tape speed as delivered to the plate. The novel tension device is automatically responsive to changes in tape feed and thereby maintains a steady constant travel of the tape across the plate. By the provision of the novel friction control acting at the middle portion of the tape all jumping or irregular movement is eliminated.

While in the foregoing reference has been made to a transparent tape it is understood that this is merely one form of tape since apparatus of this character is also used with opaque tape and the image projected therefrom. The control of the present invention is just as applicable to opaque tape as to transparent tape.

While only a single form is here shown in which this invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to any specific construction, but might be applied to various forms without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A tape feed control comprising the combination of a plate, alined tension devices located respectively at opposite ends of said plate and below the plane of said plate for causing a moving tape to pass under said devices to be held flush with the upper face of said plate, means on one of said devices for exerting downward pressure upon the two margins of said tape and a friction member between said devices and pressing said tape against said plate, whereby vibration or irregular movement of said tape is prevented.

2. A tape feed control comprising the combination of a plate, alined tension devices located respectively at opposite ends of said plate and below the plane of said plate for causing a moving tape to pass under said devices to be held fiush with the upper face of said plate, means on one of said devices for exerting downward pressure upon the two margins of said tape and means including a spring pressed rotatably mounted ball for pressing said tape against said plate, whereby vibration or irregular movement of said tape is prevented.

3. A tape feed control comprising the combination of a plate having a slot therein, means on said plate to guide a moving tape across said slot, a pivoted spring controlled tension device for holding said tape flush with a face of said plate, said device having means engaging the upper face of said tape only at the margins thereof and at a point intermediate said margins, and a friction means contacting with said tape at the middle of its width to press said tape against said plate.

4. A tape feed control comprising the combination of a plate having a slot therein, means on said plate to guide a moving tape across said slot, a pivoted spring controlled tension device for holding said tape flush with a face of said plate, said device having means engaging the upper face of said tape only at the margins thereof and at a point intermediate said margins, and means also associated with said device for engaging opposite edges of said tape to prevent lateral movement thereof.

JOHN HARTFORD CHIDESTER. 

